In recent years, people's requirements of living environment are getting higher and higher, and it is popular that people match the light colors with the decorative or artistic shapes of the lighting lamps, so that the surrounding space emanates certain atmospheres and moods, user's stylistic features can manifested, and environmental aesthetics is enhanced. Eventually, the living space further satisfies user's needs both physiological and psychological, and provides the user with enjoyable aesthetics and balance between the body and the mind.
Modern landscaping and space design places particular focus in the study of ergonomic engineering, environmental psychology, and aesthetic psychology with an aim to resolving people's requirements of their living environment in the aspects of physiological characteristics, behavior psychology and visual experience through scientific methods. The matching between light environment and colors is an important element in the design of landscaping and living environment, which affect people's physical and mental state by modulating the spectrum of the lighting lamp, and light parameters such as light intensity and color temperature. To harmonize the color of the space with the atmosphere through plants is a common practice in environmental design.
Research literatures show that through the use of illumination light, an environment with different scenarios which give people different feelings can be created. For example, as the spectrum energy of orange waveband (595 nm to 620 nm) increases, people will feel more comfortable, relaxed and spirited. Under the illumination environment with the color temperature being equal to 6500 K, as the spectrum energy of the blue waveband (435 nm to 490 nm) increases, people's internal organs related to respiratory and circulatory system, urinary system and biliary tract system will be significantly affected. High color temperature and high illumination (such as 6500 K and 450 lux) makes people feel excited. Low color temperature and middle illumination (such as 3200 K and 300 lux) makes people calm and peaceful. High color temperature and low illumination (such as 6500 K and 150 lux) makes people feel upset and depressed. Low color temperature and high illumination (such as 3200 K and 450 lux) feel unpleasant. In short, various combinations of illumination and color temperature affect people's moods and make them generate corresponding behaviors.
For example, red color helps to stimulate and excite people's nerve system, increase the secretion of epinephrine and enhance blood circulation. Green color has sedative effect, benefits those who are hyperactive or suppressed either physiological or psychological and helps the body to achieve balance and relieve dizziness, fatigue or negative emotion. Blue color environment provides a feeling of serenity and grace, and helps people to achieve internal balance. Blue color when used in a bedroom helps to relieve people of nervousness, headache, fever, dizziness, and insomnia. Yellow color stimulates people's nerve system and digestive system and enhances logic thinking. Orange color generates vitality, stimulates people's appetite and helps to maintain health, and is ideal for the places such as rumpus and kitchen.
In addition, light therapy has been widely used to improve the sleep and emotions of the sick or the seniors. Based on the response of the eyes when receiving the light, the light with special wavelengths and different light intensity levels is used for adjusting the timing at which melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland, so as to regulate people's biological clock to achieve a balanced rhythm and improve people's body temperature, sleep/wake cycle and action/rest rhythm.
A study of the environmental influence of plants on the indoor pathogen content and indoor humidity shows that when a substance volatilized from the leaves is mixed with the water vapor, the substances will suppress the growth of the pathogens in the air. Plants with high transpiration rate and large total foliar surface area help to increase indoor humidity and the dust in the air, so that the indoor air is effectively purified and the indoor air light quality is improved. Some plants help to absorb chemical substances that are hazardous to human body. The disposition of indoor foliage plants helps to alleviate people of the symptoms of infection in the nose, throat, and respiratory system. Also, research literatures show that people's anxiety and nervousness can be alleviated when household landscaping includes natural view or indoor plants. In comparison to the urban landscaping, sports or other entertainments, viewing landscaping plants or natural environment does better in alleviating people's fatigue or restoring people's concentration. In addition, a workplace with green landscaping not only benefits people's physiology and psychology but also helps to reduce people's pressure and anxiety and further increases people's morale and efficiency in their work. A hospital ward with green plants is beneficial to patients' recovery, and at the same time help to reduce patients' feeling of pain, negative emotions and hospital stay.
The disposition of plants in an indoor space is indeed beneficial to people's health both physiologically and psychologically. However, plants lacking sunlight cannot conduct photosynthesis, and will wither soon or end up with poor growth. Research literatures show that, suitable amount of light intensity of red light (610 nm to 720 nm) or blue light (400 nm to 520 nm) or a combination thereof is conducive to the growth of the plants.